This is the pairing that, truly, no one expected.

Karamo Brown is a former star of Netflix’s Queer Eye.

Jussie Smollett is an actor who is arguably better known for a legal controversy than he was for his work on Empire.

Now, Brown is gushing over their newly revealed relationship, predicting that they may one day marry.

That’s a fun thing to reveal at the end of Pride

Tuesday, June 30, was the final day of Pride Month 2026. (This year, particularly, the “July is Wrath Month” joke feels less like a joke.)

As what many felt was some sort of practical joke, Karamo Brown sat down on Carlos King’s Reality With The King podcast to share some surprising news.

He says that he has found the love of his life in Jussie Smollett.

“I do believe this is going to be my husband,” Brown shared.

He affirmed: “I believe this is going to be my forever person.”

Mere hours earlier, reports had dished that Brown and Smollett were dating.

The clues, it seem, came from the couple having dined with Karamo Brown’s mother for lunch in Los Angeles.

After the fact, they ran errands and even went on a reportedly romantic hike through Runyon Canyon together.

Could two people do these things without dating? Of course.

But Brown’s interview makes it pretty clear that, no, they’re not just good friends hanging out.

How long have they been dating?

Smollett and his former fiance, Jabari Redd, were together for almost three years.

However, they recently called off their engagement and broke up altogether.

Meanwhile, Brown’s last relationship was with photographer Carlos Medel.

Those two got together back in 2021, only to break up over a year ago — in February 2025.

It sounds like the timing (and personalities, and more) were just right for them to find each other.

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Both Brown and Smollett have been at the center of controversy, for wildly different reasons.

Brown has made some unorthodox choices, from expressing a willingness to meet with Mike Pence to abruptly skipping a Queer Eye interview, blindsiding his former co-stars in the process.

Smollett, more famously, reported in January 2019 that he had been the victim of a hate crime.

Police would go on to claim that their investigation showed that he was lying. A years-long legal battle ensued, with some considering him too controversial.

Regardless, perhaps they both really have found their forever person. Good for them!

Karamo Brown & Jussie Smollett Are DATING! ‘This is Going to Be My … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

This spring, a default judgment ordered Jermaine Jackson to pay $6.5 million.

A woman sued him, accusing him of raping her. He seemingly ignored every attempt at a summons.

If Jackson didn’t see the lawsuit before, he’s taken notice now.

He’s managed to get the default judgment voided. What’s next?

It looks like they’re headed to court after all

People obtained Judge Elaine W. Mandel’s June 30 ruling, which voids the default judgment against Jackson.

The judgment would have required him to pay $6.5 million to a woman who accuse shim of rape and sexual assault.

This was not a jury (or judicial) verdict, but a default judgment — which applies when a defendant doesn’t show up in court or misses a filing deadline or something along those lines.

In Jackson’s case, he seemed to ignore the lawsuit altogether, dodging process servers and ignoring a court-approved advertisement in the Los Angeles Times in a bid for him to come defend himself.

This spring, the court heard that the plaintiff’s attorney had done all that they could to notify Jackson, but received no reply.

Jackson denies having sexually assaulted Rita Butler Barrett, though that is not the substance of this ruling.

(Rather, the ruling will give him a chance to defend himself in court, which is all that the attempts to serve him with notice of the lawsuit wanted in the first place.)

When Jackson responded in court to the default ruling, he had two major bones to pick.

The first was that he was incorrectly sued, as he has changed his name from the one by which everyone (including us) know him.

The second is that he alleges to have been out of the country for the entirety of the time that the plaintiff attempted to serve him with the lawsuit.

‘Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun’

What’s Jackson’s new name?

He argues that, because he legally changed his name to “Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun” in 2013, he was served with notice under an incorrect name.

Names are complex. Certainly, a celebrity changing the spelling of a surname is not the most emotionally charged name change that a person might have.

However, the court went with it.

Additionally, he alleged that he was living in Bahrain, which insulated him from process servers and prevented him from seeing The Los Angeles Times.

Judge Mandel seems to agree that this did not give Jackson — or Jacksun, as the case may be — a fair opportunity to respond to the lawsuit.

Some argue that this argument shouldn’t hold up, because a famous man being sued could surely have been informed by family or friends.

But surely we’d all prefer to live in a society where the courts have to do things just right before they force us to fork over a small fortune, even if it’s for a good cause?

The good news is that Barrett will have her chance to present evidence to the court and to tell her story in the pursuit of justice.

She has waited a very long time for this case to make it to trial.

Jermaine Jackson Successfully Voids $6.5 Million Default Judgment in Rape Lawsuit was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

If at first you don’t succeed …

Vanderpump Rules villain James Kennedy is now engaged.

He proposed to Jordan Meyers, his 23-year-old girlfriend. She said yes.

And folks on the internet who are familiar with his track record are, at best, rolling their eyes.

Are congratulations in order?

On Tuesday, June 30, Kennedy took to his Instagram page to share the news.

He shared a photo of what must have felt like a romantic proposal at Villa d’Este on Lake Como in Italy.

(If you didn’t recognize the famous backdrop, he geotagged the pic for your convenience.)

Kennedy shared snaps of him going down on one knee to propose to Meyers, who is both pregnant and not yet old enough to rent a car.

He wore a white shirt with a plunging neckline, while Meyers wore a beautiful red dress.

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For his caption, Kennedy — who should really be more practiced at this by now — left one of the most broad-brush and impersonal captions imaginable.

“We’re engaged!!” he began.

“I love you,” Kennedy gushed, “adventures with you forever and ever.”

He then wrote: “Thank you for making me the luckiest guy in the world.”

Kennedy punctuated this deeply bland caption with a red heart emoji and with a fire emoji. Okay.

A Lake Como proposal isn’t normally the formula for a ‘shotgun wedding,’ and yet …

Truth be told, this engagement is not a huge surprise.

Is it a good idea? No. But is it surprising? Not really, given the context.

Yes, Meyers is frankly too young to get married. And yes, they’ve only been dating for a matter of months.

However, Meyers is pregnant. Whoops!

If you’re seeing red flags here, well, you’re not alone.

Kennedy was engaged to Raquel Leviss back in the day. The erstwhile couple split in 2021.

He would later move on with Ally Lewber, as documented on Vanderpump Rules.

Notably, their breakup included harrowing allegations of physical abuse.

This scandal was so bad that Kennedy even earned condemnation from Lisa Vanderpump, despite her track record of sort of handwaving most bad behavior from men.

Hopefully, Meyers will make the right choice. No one should be tethered to this dude for long.

James Kennedy & Jordan Meyers: Engaged! Third Time’s the Charm? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

Is Ariana Grande pregnant?

In recent months, some people have body-shamed Ariana over her ultra-slender appearance.

Now, some of the denizens of TikTok are reporting something very different about her body.

Is this just a rumor? Wishful thinking? A new angle of body-shaming? Or is Ariana Grande now Ariana Pregante?

Is Ariana Grande pregnant?

“Ariana Grande is reportedly three months pregnant,” a TikTok video reports. And it is not alone.

The post went on to claim that she “discovered she was expecting in October, the same day as her first Wicked press interview.”

That is incredibly specific!

Presumably, the father would be Ethan Slater, Ariana’s Wicked castmate.

Multiple comments below the video show that even the TikTok audience isn’t immediately convinced. And that’s saying a lot, folks. TikTok is a notorious vector of disinformation.

In fact, a series of TikTok denizens asked the same question: “Does Ariana know?”

The implication, of course, is that this is a baseless claim and that Ariana is not, to her knowledge, pregnant.

It’s worth investigating where the rumor originates.

Is there a source for saying that Ariana Grande is pregnant?

Ariana Grande has not made any pregnancy announcement.

Her silly little guy, the Spongebob musical star Ethan Slater, hasn’t either.

Sometimes, pregnancy news leaks from close family or friends or even professionals.

Many celebrities know that contacting first responders or visiting a hospital is barely different from calling certain tabloids directly.

But this doesn’t come from TMZ or People or Page Six. This isn’t even a dubious Deuxmoi claim.

And it doesn’t seem to match up with any blind items, to our knowledge.

Thus far, we’re just seeing unsubstantiated claims on TikTok.

Which is a lovely place for people to do duets with strangers or to share recipes for food. Not so much for, like, actual information about the world.

On the positive side for Ariana, this rumor doesn’t appear to be body-shaming. She is extremely slender.

In fact, this may be a form of wishful thinking from some of her fans.

Maybe they’d like to see her have a kid, even if it’s with Ethan, who pretty famously already had a kid shortly before the downfall of his marriage.

Right now, having a baby probably isn’t her focus

Ariana Grande just dazzled audiences with Wicked, even taking home a “Rising Star” award even though she has been a household name for a decade and has been acting since she was a child.

Presumably, if she’s serious about Ethan (which many of her fans would not understand, but that’s her business), she’ll want to spend more time considering their next step.

Not only did Ethan exit a marriage relatively recently, but so did she.

Taking time to reassess your next step is always a good idea.

Ariana Grande Pregnant? The Rumor & The Truth was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

The Guthrie family cannot seem to catch a break.

Last month, it was revealed that notes from Nancy’s alleged kidnappers apologized for her death.

This led to Savannah’s unraveling on The Today Show as she processed the agony of not at least having closure for herself and her loved ones.

Now, there’s a new twist in this case. According to the FBI, these notes were forgeries.

They’re fake

On Tuesday, June 30, Reuters reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has determined that the notes sent to various media outlets are fake.

It is, at this time, unclear how the FBI’s forensic experts reached this conclusion.

Obviously, it is all too tempting to dismiss the Bureau’s reporting.

Right now, Kash Patel heads the organization, which has been politicized and, in part, weaponized against the American people under the Trump regime.

But, at present, this is the best information that we have. Even if it isn’t helpful.

Nancy was kidnapped from her home on February 1 in a violent attack, resulting in a small amount of her blood being left at the scene.

Most of the letters sent to media outlets — which were all apparent forgeries — arrived early into the case, but remained under wraps for months

TMZ, notably, received another in June.

The tabloid reports that they have received nearly a dozen emails from a man claiming to know both the kidnapper’s identity and the location of Nancy while not being part of the crime.

This unnamed man promised to share this info for 1 bitcoin — at present, about enough to buy a new car. At present, there is no publicly available evidence to suggest that this man’s information is genuine.

The Guthries have been through enough

To say that these “updates” in Nancy’s case are a twist of the knife to Savannah and her family is, perhaps, an understatement.

It is one thing to hear from a kidnapper or to have eerie silence from a kidnapper.

(When a kidnapping victim dies unexpectedly shortly after their abduction, those responsible can choose to attempt to get a ransom, usually through deceit, or they can go to ground to hide their involvement.)

It is something else altogether

But what sort of motive would such a person have?

Some people are just looking for money. While email is not untraceable, an individual might allegedly hope to disappear with a modest amount of cryptocurrency and start anew.

Others are seeking attention. The thrill of being “involved” in a case can cloud someone’s judgment, just like becoming overly engaged in a social media thread might lead someone to make prosecutable threats.

Finally, some people might feel that they are genuinely helping. Even if we don’t know where to find Nancy’s remains, many wish that they could give Savannah and her family closure.

But fake closure doesn’t do anything. Fake closure reopens a wound. Having it disproven reopens it again.

Savannah and her entire family deserve better. We will continue to keep them all in our thoughts.

Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Notes Are Forgeries, FBI Concludes was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

Earlier this year, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives went on abrupt hiatus as Taylor Frankie Paul’s life turned upside down.

Now, things are slowly getting back to normal, including the mother of three working on her mental health.

It was recently revealed that she went to rehab.

Taylor apparently checked herself in on a doctor’s advice — a promising sign, one hopes.

How long was she in rehab?

On Tuesday, June 30, TMZ reported that Dakota Mortensen’s people allege that Taylor violated the restraining order against her.

She allegedly had a third party on her side contact a third party on his side in the hopes of setting up a visit with Ever, their 2-year-old son.

It’s worth mentioning that Team Taylor reportedly believes that Dakota is deliberately harassing her, and using frequent police calls and more as part of his strategy.

Taylor’s alleged motive was to make up for missing a previous visitation.

That one, she’d missed due to a one-week rehab stint.

People reports that Taylor voluntarily entered the rehab facility.

The report also details that she has since departed, which confirms TMZ‘s sources’ statements.

Allegedly, Taylor “checked into a facility upon the recommendation of her doctor.”

The insider emphasized that this was a “voluntary” stay for her health and well-being.

“She’s committed to getting better,” explained the source.

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She’s taking the steps to get better

A separate insider explained Taylor’s decision to People.

“The people around Taylor want her to get help,” this second source explained.

Those who truly love and care about Taylor “want to see her get better,” the insider emphasized.

This source claimed: “Everyone is just trying to protect the kids.”

In addition to Ever, she shares 8-year-old Indy and 6-year-old Ocean with her ex-husband, Tate Paul.

As one might imagine for one of the titular spouses of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Taylor was formerly Mormon.

That means that she had a lot of prohibitions and social stigmas that most of us can only understand academically.

Most of us know that a religious prohibition does not mean that something never takes place.

However, it does mean less community support for people who struggle with issues, such as substance abuse or mental illness, if those around them are unfamiliar with the problems or even regard the struggle as “shameful.”

That is to say that the odds were already stacked against Taylor. We’re glad that she’s taking the steps to get her life in order.

Taylor Frankie Paul Voluntarily Checked into Rehab Amidst Alleged Harassment From a … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

Just weeks after Jelly Roll filed for divorce, Bunnie Xo has made some surprising comments about their nearly decade-long marriage.

During a recent episode of her “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Bunnie read a message from a man who told her he was nearing the end of a 10-year prison sentence and hoped to take her out once he was released.

“I don’t mind that the dude’s in prison,” she said with a laugh.

“What I don’t like is he said, ‘Let me go out and have a time with you.’ So you’re just expecting me to put out on this first date.”

When one of her co-hosts joked that the man had “served his time,” Bunnie couldn’t resist making a comparison to her own situation.

“I mean, same. I just got out of a 10-year bid too, what are we talking about?” she quipped.

Realizing the joke might raise some eyebrows, she immediately laughed and added, “I’m gonna get a phone call,” before clarifying that she was “just kidding.”

The lighthearted moment comes in the wake of a very public split.

Jelly Roll filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences after nearly 10 years of marriage. Court documents listed May 9 as the couple’s separation date.

Despite the breakup, neither Bunnie nor Jelly has suggested that there’s any lingering animosity between them.

In fact, both have repeatedly described one another as best friends, and Bunnie has urged fans not to choose sides as they navigate the end of their marriage.

In fact, Bunnie and Jelly still hope to become parents together through surrogacy.

Bunnie also revealed that her inbox has been overflowing since the divorce news broke.

Although plenty of men — including a few celebrities — have attempted to get her attention, she said she’s responded to only two messages so far.

For now, it appears Bunnie is coping with one of the biggest changes of her life the same way many comedians do: by finding something to laugh about.

Whether fans appreciate the prison comparison or not, she clearly isn’t shying away from speaking candidly about the current state of her love life.

Bunnie Xo Compares Jelly Roll Marriage to 10-Year Prison Sentence was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

Author, journalist, and former Today Show co-anchor Kathie Lee Gifford has something to share.

She was, until very recently, in deep physical agony.

Her chronic pain interfered with meeting fans. Worse, it made it hard for her to play with her grandchildren.

It reached a point where she wanted to die.

‘I’ve never abused [my body], I just used it’

Just over a year ago, Gifford underwent a hip replacement surgery.

Followed by that, she went under the knife again.

Gifford broke her arm just by rolling over onto it at an extremely odd angle, she says.

Another broken bone came from a fall on uneven pavement — which can lead to catastrophic injuries even to someone who is not in her 70s.

When Gifford realized how far her depth perception had fallen, she underwent cataract surgery.

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“You have to have a sense of humor about everything,” Gifford told People.

She expressed: “Thank God I’ve never lost that, even in my bleakest moments. I’m a tough broad.”

Even so, she is the first to admit that she’s put wear and tear on her body over the years.

“I’ve never abused [my body], I just used it,” Gifford explained.

In other words, she’s saying that she’s been so active that it’s taken a toll. That’s one of the grim truths of bodies and age — you need to be just the right amount of active.

‘I wanted to die a few times’

“I want to be Kathie Lee, the person they expect,” she explained. “I don’t want to disappoint people.”

This goes for meeting fans on the street as well as for spending time with her grandchildren.

Gifford added: “But when you’re in pain, it’s so debilitating, and everything’s a grimace.”

She detailed: “I’ve had emotional pain many times in my life, but never this chronic physical pain where you literally want to go home to Jesus.”

“I wanted to die a few times,” Gifford admitted. “I wasn’t going to hurt myself. I wasn’t going to kill myself. I just didn’t want to be here — as blessed as I am.”

kathie lee and hoda's #joyride (second extended cut) pic.twitter.com/EpvgcxFiE3

— caleb (@calebstark) July 22, 2024

After a series of surgeries, Gifford is doing six-days-a-week physical therapy and stem cell therapy.

She reports that she is now running “all over the place” with her grandchildren.

“They’re all fantastic,” she gushed to People.

She added: “I’m hoping, Lord willing, that I have many, many years with them.”

We of course wish her the very best.

Kathie Lee Gifford ‘Wanted to Die’ Before Surgeries, Stem Cell Therapy was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

According to recent reports, Kate Gosselin has been “spiraling” over estranged son Collin Gosselin’s tell-all book.

The memoir releases in just a few months, and seems poised to expose her like never before.

Reportedly, Kate’s been telling those closest to her that his book is full of lies, even if its contents aren’t public yet.

Will she sue him for defamation to silence him? Apparently not.

‘I can’t [because] I’m a public figure’

Though Kate has not directly mentioned Collin or his upcoming novel, it’s clear that In The Shadow of Eight is on her mind.

In her comments on TikTok, one user wrote: “If you are 100% certain that the accusations against you are lies, my suggestion would be to take him to court and sue him for defamation!”

Obviously, if Collin is “lying,” Kate couldn’t possibly know everything that he has to say in his memoir, could she?

While we puzzle over that head-scratcher, we’ll acknowledge that we’ve all seen defamation suits brought forward. Some even win on spurious grounds, even when the defendant is being entirely truthful.

With that in mind, it’s a great question. Why not sue Collin? Surely the woman who ruined his childhood can also ruin his book launch, right?

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Kate actually replied to the commenter, offering an explanation of sorts.

“I can’t bc I’m a public figure,” she claimed in her response.

“Rules are different unfortunately,” Kate alleged.

She then wrote: “Or I def would!”

Not everyone believes her explanation. But she soon doubled down, explaining further.

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‘I tried :(‘

“Malice is one of the hardest things to prove,” the widely reviled reality TV alum wrote. “I tried :(.”

Kate then alleged: “The rules are different for ppl in the public eye.”

She went on to describe: “I consulted a high power LA attorney (you’ve definitely heard of him) years ago when other ppl were putting crazy stuff out there and that’s what he said.”

Most people do not believe that Collin’s accounts of his childhood are “crazy.” That seems to be a problem for Kate.

According to her: “The courts don’t honor it if you’re in the public eye :(”

Even after doubling down there, Kate wasn’t quite done.

A separate commenter asked her if she might consider taking a lie-detector test.

Kate simply replied: “Ha!”

Though she is one of the most widely despised former reality TV stars by many, some would argue that lie detector tests are famously unreliable and not exactly admissible in court. Not to defend her, but it would be a fool’s errand in many situations.

We’ll all look forward to reading Collin’s memoir when it releases in October.

Kate Gosselin Says She ‘Can’t’ Sue Collin for Defamation Over Tell-All … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

The wedding of the year is nearly upon us.

This Friday, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are holding their nuptials.

The big event included over 1,000 invites, a lockdown on traffic near the venue, and even NDAs for guests.

How tough are the non-disclosure agreements?

Wedding bells are ringing! Metaphorically, for the moment

According to NBC News, Taylor and Travis’ wedding will reportedly include about 1,100 guests.

The festivities should go down at Madison Square Garden on Friday, July 3.

Previous reports had shared that some wedding-related events would take place in New York on Friday. We just didn’t know how much.

It’s hard to keep a large wedding secret when you’re Taylor. Especially when there’s a block-off schedule in a city like New York.

Those with invitations — apparently, over 1,000 individuals — have received electronic nondisclosure agreements. NBC was however unclear on the details of the NDAs.

TMZ reports that the NDA may look intimidating but apparently isn’t quite a Sword of Damocles over guests’ heads.

Yes, the non-disclosure agreements that guests must e-sign forbid them from spilling details to the public.

However, TMZ says that the measure does not include a monetary penalty for blabbers.

In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any other punitive measures attached.

Simply put, it sounds like this is a legal measure to discourage people from blabbing, but not a cudgel with which to ruin their lives if they do.

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Will there be some sort of streaming doc for the big day?

There is no film release attached, either.

So guests weren’t asked to sign away their rights to appear on camera.

This makes it sound like there’s probably not going to be a streaming special or a documentary about the wedding.

Or, if there is, select individuals may sign on (or not) during or after the wedding.

This makes sense. Taylor is a world-class celebrity. Travis is arguably fairly famous in the sportsball world. They’re not reality stars, and their wedding can be for them and friends, not for streaming.

Officially, we only know that the invitations listed “New York City” as the venue, and July 3 as the date.

As for MSG, we know the venue because New York City streets surrounding Madison Square Garden will be closed from July 2 through midday on July 4, all for a July 3 event.

People connected the dots. It wasn’t hard.

By the way, the invites were watermarked by Taylor and Travis, sort of like some OnlyFans videos are. That is to say, if someone leaks it, they’ll know who did.

Still, if someone wants to spill the beans, it sounds like they can. They’ll get a really good excuse to not attend a wedding in the process.

Taylor Swift Wedding NDAs: How Harshly Are Leakers Punished? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.